Category: STEAM

Learning to learn. It’s a strange concept, isn’t it? It’s easy to think that learning is something we just do – no effort required. After all, babies are learning every second their eyes are open, learning to echo facial expressions or sounds before they even realize it. Three year olds learn about the world around them so […]

It’s summertime! Sun is shining, ice cream cones are dripping, and young ladies are custom designing 3D rendered products using online computer-aided modeling software. You know, the norm. I was thrilled when Ms. Wilkens asked me to join her to run STAB Tech Camps this summer. Full days of ed tech projects, experiments, and games? […]

Over on School Library Journal today, STAB Computer Science Coordinator Kim Wilkens and I are talking about Foiling Fake News, a unit we developed for fourth graders to help them to put their digital literacy and computer science skills to the test. We had a blast while helping our fourth graders to sharpen their critical thinking […]

WHO: 6th grade graphic novel lovers, makers, creatives, and students looking to try something new! WHAT: A graphic novel book club… with a twist. When I read Cardboard by Doug TenNapel, I was so inspired that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on some cardboard. What magic could I make out of cardboard? What was […]

In case you missed it, I’m offering two Robotics SKOLAs this spring! Learn the basics of computer science in a fun, supportive environment with hands-on activities. Groups are limited to ten and there are only a few spots left, so make sure to register soon! You can find registration forms in the Learning Village Office. See […]

Girls Geek Day is coming – and you’re invited! It is more important than ever that we take the lead in educating, encouraging, and empowering young girls. According to Tech-Girls.org, less than 20% of computer science graduates are women. Shocked? I was, too. But the more I looked into it, the more I read that women […]

It’s Computer Science Education Week! December 5-11 educators, coders, and computer science lovers all over the world come together to code, build, tinker, engineer, make, and discover. Here’s a map from csedweek.org to give you a hint of just how big Computer Science Education Week is this year – Pretty impressive, right? Computer Science Education […]

Exciting news, St. Anne’s-Belfield middle school families! Next Tuesday morning, middle school students can celebrate the holidays AND Computer Science Education Week with a holiday-themed Hour of Code Pop-Up Makerspace in the LV library. Code is hard work, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun, too! We will be opening the library early for students […]

Running a K-8 library is hard. It’s not the curriculum that’s difficult, or even the task of purchasing relevant and exciting texts for such a wide range of ages. Switching gears from 5th grade to kindergarten on a dime isn’t easy, but that’s not what I’m talking about. No, I’m talking organization. That’s the hard […]

In honor of Dr. Mae Jemison’s September 20 visit to the University of Virginia, Ms. Wilkens and Ms. FitzHenry hosted a Pop-Up Maker Space in the Legner Learning Village Library with a number of space-themed options. Dr. Jemison, the first African American female astronaut to travel in space, was the subject of one station devoted […]